Pirastro-Evah Pirazzi

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

They were actually a little stiffer than I expected.... soft feel

Huh? Which is it, Island man?

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

Huh? Which is it, Island man?

Yes.



I guess that didn't come out right. Hard to describe. They aren't flabby feeling like obligatos can be, but they do feel ... what's the word?.... compliant, maybe? I dunno.

They seem to respond well to a relatively light pizz attack. I get a nice sound out of them with a relaxed, one-finger pizz. Not much effort, lots of sound. There's a really nice definition to the front of the note, and then a nice bloom afterwards. Your bass seems to like them, BTW... but then, that bass has sounded great with every string I've ever put on it. These strings have maybe the best balance across the whole range that I've tried so far.

[Ken Smith]

Ok, I used the Gilkes and new EPs last night. I like them! They bow smooth, sound deep, sounds loud, warm plush pizz sound and very easy to play.

It's my new favorite string.

[Marcus Johnson]

I think I can safely say that it's my new favorite as well at this point.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

Huh? Which is it, Island man?

I was thinking about this some more as I was playing these strings on the bandstand (god forbid I should actually be thinking about the music ).... on my bass, they feel quite soft and comfortable under my left hand, while under my right, they feel a bit stiffer and very precise. I don't remember having that impression from any other string, and it's pretty subtle. It works out well for me, because I can dig in with the right hand as much as I want, while left is pretty much free to explore without a whole lot of tension.

Still hard to explain, obviously. The arco tone is glorious.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

I received a set the other day and put them on a mint 1960s Juzek. My impressions so far are mixed. The feel is a bit stiff to me and the pizz tone is on the dry side. Arco response is so-so. I like the arco tone. I'm kind of scratching my head so far, not sure if I like them or not. They seem to me like darker-sounding Dominants, but not quite that stiff.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

I received a set the other day and put them on a mint 1960s Juzek. My impressions so far are mixed. The feel is a bit stiff to me and the pizz tone is on the dry side. Arco response is so-so. I like the arco tone. I'm kind of scratching my head so far, not sure if I like them or not. They seem to me like darker-sounding Dominants, but not quite that stiff.

Arnold, trying a new set on a factory made Bass may not be the best way to test them. I think if you pick a high quality handmade Bass that you know, judging the results will tell you more about about the string that you can tell from a German Shop Bass. True, there are 1000's of these Basses in the world but I think only a smaller percentage of them used for bowing.

AT least we know it may not be the best string for that type of Bass. I put them on my Gilkes which is a Bass you did a long and fine restoration on. I must say the Bass has never sounded or played better and I have used several types of strings in the search both before and after the restoration.

The Pizz on the Gilkes for either Jazz or Bowing is about the best it has ever been. The Gilkes sounds noticeably louder than I have ever heard it. It has always bowed smooth so there was little room for improvement there. They do however remind me a bit of Oliv's which I have used on the Martini and some combo with G & D Oliv's on 2 other Basses. I think for me they Bow at least as good as any other great string. As a matter of fact, when bowing the G on the Gilkes if I move the Bow a bit sloppy, the string doesn't catch as well. With these new EPs, they catch even on bad strokes.

Each type of set out there has their own feel and design. The Basses themselves seem to decide which string it wants. When the 'sweet spot' is found string-wise, you will know it.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

My understanding is that these strings are to be considered "hybrids". So I put them on a bass that is going to be used for both arco and pizz. This bass was recently upgraded by me with some regraduation, a new bass bar and a new neck. It's a good instrument. I'm going to let the strings break in for a while, and let some other people play it. I'll post my findings here. What I wrote above was simply my first impression.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

My understanding is that these strings are to be considered "hybrids". So I put them on a bass that is going to be used for both arco and pizz. This bass was recently upgraded by me with some regraduation, a new bass bar and a new neck. It's a good instrument. I'm going to let the strings break in for a while, and let some other people play it. I'll post my findings here. What I wrote above was simply my first impression.

Thank's for pointing that out. I know you did some work but didn't know just how much. Again, for myself mainly, I can only tell how a String actually is in comparison by testing them on a Bass that I know. Of course just putting them an a Bass you can tell if they work well on that Bass or not but not really know how the fair with other strings on the same Bass. Sometimes I have switched strings 6 times over only to discover that the first set I had on was the best for that Bass to begin with within the same condition and set-up.

One other thing I want to point out is the usage intended for 'that' Bass. Only a few Basses I have owned works well for both Jazz or Classical with the same exact set of strings and set-up. My Gilkes and Cornerless Bass seem to do anything with a good set of strings on it. The Martini however is so dark on the bottom that for Jazz only I would want a brighter type jazz string.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Two other people played the Pirazzi's today. Consensus was that this set is a winner. They liked the pizz feel and tone, felt they could dig in and the bass responded with a lot of volume. I feel they are a little stiff for me but I'm liking them more as they break in. Arco is pretty good so far, not amazing. So far the best of the hybrid strings I think.

[Brian Glassman]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

.... on my bass, they feel quite soft and comfortable under my left hand, while under my right, they feel a bit stiffer and very precise. I don't remember having that impression from any other string, and it's pretty subtle. It works out well for me, because I can dig in with the right hand as much as I want, while left is pretty much free to explore without a whole lot of tension.

Still hard to explain, obviously. The arco tone is glorious.

+1

Just got my early 20th cent. German bass back up to NJ from Miami. I decided to put my new set of EP's on that rather than the Prescott.
The German is brighter and is more in need of a louder, darker string. The already dark and lush Prescott does fine w/ Spriro Mittels w/ a Superflex G. The brighter strings counterbalance its darker sound. The rusult is robust, but clear, to-die-for pizz sound. But I do long for easier bowing lower strings.

Just put the EP's on the German taking off newish Flatchromsteels that I was experimenting with.

First impressions: Piz; Deffinately thicker, darker, 'ropier' w/ more 'thunk' and less metallic 'splank' to the start of the notes. Nice warm G sound. Less pingy than Spiros or FC's. Nicely balanced set. Definately makes this bass louder. I can see what you guys mean about the E needing to break in. There's some growl down there, but not like Spiros.
Maybe a little more work than the FC's, but I'm enjoying the volume. Could be just what the Dr. ordered for this bass.
These are my first sythetic core string of any kind and they do seem to be stretching out over this first day and getting growlier and louder when I bring them back up to pitch.

Arco; seems pretty outstanding. All the strings including the lower ones get started pretty easily. More robust and pleasantly darker than FC's. Can't help wondering what they would feel like under the bow on the Prescott.
More later.

BG __________________
-Straight ahead and strive for tone

[Dan Tice]

Hey Brian,

Just wondering if you're still using the EP's. If so, how is the arco holding up now that they have some time put into them?

Thanks!

Dan

[Eric Hochberg]

I've been using them for a couple of months now, but split between two basses. The E and A on my '55 Juzek are wonderful, especially under the bow. The fullest, loudest sound I have heard on this bass and I've been playing it for 30 years. I think I prefer Spiro Mittels for jazz pizz for a little more sizzle, but these work well. I have Obligato D and G on this bass and the combination is fine together. It seems that the Obli D and G are louder now, too.

On my other, older, German bass with a darker sound, I have the EP G in combo with Weichs and am very happy. More meat under my finger, less twang and darker sounding with the bow on the G string. This bass seems to like less tension, hence the Weichs.

[Steve Alcott]

NS LaScala, EPs, very satisfied both pizz and arco.

[Richard Prowse]

I put a set of EPs on just under a week ago and they keep stretching (going flat). Is this normal? How long do they take to settle?